Be aware of coronavirus scams

Last Updated: 15 May 2020

Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) to exploit and play on the fears of businesses and consumers across Australia. It is very difficult at times to know what communication is official.

ATO COVID-19 scams

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is aware of a significant increase in Australians being targeted with COVID-19 scams, fraud attempts and deceptive email and SMS schemes. The ATO will communicate with you via SMS and email if you have applied for the JobKeeper payment, or early release of superannuation. However, if you’re unsure whether an ATO interaction is genuine, do not reply. If you receive an SMS or email claiming to be from the ATO, check the ATO's current SMS and email activities to confirm it's genuine.

The ATO is receiving reports of scammers pretending to be from the ATO calling members of the public and asking them to provide their bank account details. They are telling them that their employer has registered them for the JobKeeper Payment, but that the ATO needs their bank account details to deposit the funds into their account.

Do not provide the information requested. Employees that are eligible for JobKeeper payments will be paid by their employer and the ATO will reimburse their employer for these payments. The ATO does not need the bank account details of individual employees.

If you're not sure whether an ATO call is legitimate, hang up and call the ATO on 1800 008 540 to check.

Misinformation and scams

Cybercriminals are using websites, emails and text messages that claim to provide official information about the coronavirus, but are attempts to get your personal or business information.

Scammers are impersonating, by phone, email and text messages a range of official Australian and international organisations such as the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation, other government authorities and legitimate businesses, including:

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